Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
by blu-eyed-blonde-19
Summary: Harry is in his sixth year at Hogwarts. Dumbledore immediately started recruiting wizards internationally after the events in the Department of Mysteries last year, and Fleur’s (This is not a Fleur story) aunt and uncle are recruited from America, and the
1. Default Chapter

A/N: Hey this is one of my first fan fics, so go easy on me! LOL! I know Harry's sixth year is only in 1996, but I am putting modern things in there, like language and clothes, because this is my Harry Potter story! So if you see someone saying something like "Homie, you ain't G enough fo' me!" that is why. You probably won't, though. And bear with me on the English phrases. I may or may not have a lot of them in here, I haven't decided yet, so I dunno…

Also, Desiree's full name is Desiree Amore and is pronounced Dez-er-a A-mor-ee. Do you see the significance of her name? I, personally, like it a lot.

By the way, if you like Smallville, I got the name Desiree from that one episode where that girl comes into town and seduces everyone with her power and she tries to kill Lex to get his money.

"Desiree, can you get that!" called Mrs. Amore.

"_Oui_, _Maman_. Hold on a sec!" Desiree called back from her room. She picked up her fuzzy leopard phone and answered it. "_Bonjour_!"

"Desiree, is that you?" asked a familiar voice.

"Hey Aunt Marie! I haven't heard from you or Fleur in a while!"

"Yes, I know dear. We 'ave been so busy helping the Order of the Phoenix in Eeengland. Eeen (A/N: Aunt Marie is French and she is talking in a French accent) fact, we are moveeng there in a week, seence Fleur 'as feeneeshed school now, and Charles and I 'ave no reason to stay in France. And I wanted to talk to your mother about just that. Can you put 'er on the line, please?"

"_Oui_. One minute".

"_Merci_, Desiree. I think I'll be seeing you sooner than you think!"

Desiree said goodbye to her aunt and removed the phone from her ear and set it down on her leopard bed spread. She stuck her head out of her room as she shouted "Mom, phone for you! It's Aunt Marie!"

As soon as she heard her mom exclaim "Oh, Marie! It's _tres bien_ to 'ear from you! Do you 'ave the news?" she returned the phone to its charger and resumed the cleaning of her owl, Aphrodite's, cage. Aphrodite hooted contentedly from her perch on top of Desiree's shelves. After about ten minutes Desiree heard her mom call her. She put down the book she had started to read and bounded down the stairs to the dinning room. Her mom was sitting at the table, looking excited, yet troubled.

"_Oui, Maman_?" Desiree asked.

"Sit down for a second honey. I am not sure if you are going to like this…" said Mrs. Amore. Desiree gave her mom a questioning look as she seated herself at the wooden dinning table. Mrs. Amore took a deep breath before beginning.

"As you know, 'oney, last summer, Voldemort returned in England. Your father and I were told this by our good friend, Monsieur Albus Dumbledore. You know all the complications with the English Ministry of Magic and everything, right? 'ow they didn't believe 'arry Potter and Dumbledore?" Desiree nodded encouragingly.

"Well, they finally realized they 'ad made a mistake about thinking Voldemort 'ad not returned a few weeks ago, when Voldemort gained access to the Ministry and tried to steal a prophecy. Ever since then, Dumbledore has been recruiting wizards and witches internationally to 'elp with the second war. Aunt Marie has been recruited along with Uncle Charles, and she 'as been making arrangements for you father and I to go to England to help the Order of the Phoenix. And the arrangements came through today. The American Ministry of Magic 'as agreed to transfer us to England…"

"So you and Dad will be going to Great Britain to 'elp fight Voldemort?" Desiree finished for her.

"Yes," said Mrs. Amore, looking wearily at her daughter for some sign of anger or frustration, not knowing if she had "read" her yet. (A/N: If this seems like a confusing sentence, or a confusing rest of this chapter, LOL, it will all make sense as you read more of the story).

"That's great that you and Dad can go help the Order! I am excited for you! So, will I be staying at Grandma's?" Desiree asked in a rush.

"No…" Mrs. Amore answered hesitantly. Desiree frowned. The way her mom was acting… Desiree closed her eyes and relaxed her mind. She opened them again and stared right into her mom's eyes, forming a strong connection. Suddenly she felt a huge happiness, along with a worried anxiety. She examined the feeling of anxiety closer and saw her mom talking with her aunt, Marie Delacour, just a few minutes ago.

"_Yes, Mark and I are very excited to be coming", Mrs. Amore said into the phone. "So, Desiree will be able to finish 'er schooling in 'ogwarts, right?"_

Desiree quickly pulled out of her mother's mind in shock at these last words.

"I have to go too?!" she shouted.

"It is a permanent movement, dear. You father and I 'ave always wanted to live in Britain, and now we can do that and keep our jobs because we 'ave been transferred, and you can finish school at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry"

"But what about my friends? What about Jason? What about my life here?!" Desiree shouted in exasperation.

"You'll make new friends, and you'll get a new boyfriend. Boys are always clamoring for your affection, even without your veel-"

"I want to keep the friends and the boyfriend I have here! _Zut alors_! I DON'T WANT TO MOVE!" Mrs. Amore's face dropped.

"I am sorry 'oney, but we 'ave no choice! We don't want to leave you with Grandma for the rest of your life until you are out on your own! We want to 'ave you with us; we would miss you too much!"

Desiree burst into tears. She ran up the stairs and flung herself onto her bed, still sobbing. Soon she fell asleep. When she woke again, it was ten o'clock. She stretched lazily and sat up. She walked over to her desk and got out some paper and a pen, still silently crying, and she began writing letters to her friends and boyfriend. When she was done, she tucked them away in her drawer for safekeeping. Then she dragged herself back over to her bed and flopped down sleepily. She was out cold in less than a minute.

The next day after breakfast, Desiree called her boyfriend, Jason.

"Just a minute, Desiree. Let me get him," said Jason's younger sister, Katie, who had answered the phone. After a while Jason picked up the phone.

"Hello?" he said.

"Jason, this is Desiree"

"Hey! What's up?"

"_Bonjour_," Desiree answered dully.

"Don't sound so happy to see me!" Jason exclaimed jokingly.

"Jason…"

"What?" Jason said, suddenly worried. He had known Desiree long enough to know something serious was going on with her by the grave tone of her voice.

"Jason, it's over between us" Jason plopped down onto his bed, not able to get the meaning of those words through his head.

"What do you mean, it's over?" he said skeptically.

"You know what I mean. I'm breaking up with you" Jason heard the sound of muffled sniffles on the end of the other line.

"But, why?"

"I…I can't explain right now" Desiree whispered.

"Why, though? I thought we cared about each other? Did I do something to offend you?" Jason cried out exasperatedly.

"No, I just have to break up with you. I really have to go now. Bye," and there was a click, and she was gone.

_What the hell!_ Jason thought. _What the hell was that all about?_

That night, her mother called up to Desiree from the stairs "We are leaving in about an hour, okay?" There was no answer, but Mrs. Amore knew Desiree had heard her.

"_Sacrebleu_!" she said to herself. "Teenagers!"

Desiree sat on her bed and looked around her animal print themed room. It would still be hers. He mother and father were just going to shrink the house magically and carry it with them in their pockets to England. But it would be in a different place. A different country. Not the U.S.A, but England. England, with no Janelle, no Sara, no Kelly, and no Jason.

Desiree closed her eyes in frustration at first, but then it turned to concentration. She felt a cold trickling start at her fingertips and end at her toes and when she opened her eyes again, she was not there. Or, she was, but no one could see her. She stared at her desk drawer. It opened slowly, and the letters explaining everything to her friends flew out of it and into Desiree's hands. She walked to the window and opened it slowly. Aphrodite hooted at her, for though she could not see Desiree, she sensed her wild emotions, and movement about the room.

"Don't worry, Aphrodite, I am coming back," Desiree told her owl comfortingly. Aphrodite hooted, reassured. Desiree sighed, glad she would have at least one friend in England, and she climbed on to the windowsill. She flowed smoothly into the air. She floated past the huge houses of her neighborhood. As she passed by each of her friend's houses, she tucked one of the letters under each of their pillows.

Lastly, she went to Jason's house. She pulled open his window and climbed inside. Jason was asleep on his bed. Desiree closed her eyes and concentrated on his mind, after slipping a much thicker letter under his pillow. An image of herself yelling at Jason played in front of her eyes. She watched as she grew bigger and bigger, and Jason grew smaller and more helpless.

"No, Desiree!" he cried. "Why are you doing this? I love you!" Desiree pulled her mind away quickly. Jason's pain was so great; she staggered away from the overwhelmingness of it. She collapsed by his bed and began to cry silently. Finally, she stood up.

"_Bonne nuit_, Jason," she whispered softly. "I love you, too". Suddenly Jason's eyes fluttered open.

"Who's there?" he called out sleepily. His eyes widened at the sight of the open window.

"Desiree, it that you?" he called. He jumped out of bed as Desiree darted towards the window. "Desiree, I know it's you!" Jason cried.

She couldn't stand it anymore. She leapt out the window. Looking back, she saw the longing and hurt on Jason's face as he stared up at the silver full moon. She turned away determidley and sped back to her house, golden-brown hair flying in her face.

"_Au revoir_" she whispered into the night.


	2. Rescue From Privet Drive

Chapter One- Rescue from Privet Drive

Harry Potter was sitting on the couch in the living room of Number 4, Privet Drive, feeling little pricklings on the back of his neck every now and then. The irritated frown already present on Harry's face deepened. He turned around abruptly.

"Haven't you two had enough of staring at the back of my neck!" he shouted, completely irked. His aunt and uncle just glared back at him.

"I mean, I _know_ how fascinating it is to watch my hair grow, but _really_, the news is _much_ more interesting!" he said sarcastically. Uncle Vernon's already red face deepened in anger.

"That is exactly the point! What would a fifteen-year-old boy want to watch the news for? And your… _kind_… would not be on _our_ news!" he finished in an anxious, half-whisper. His beady little eyes darted to the window, where you could see neighbors outside watering their pristine green lawns or showing off a new car. When Uncle Vernon saw that no one was there, he continued.

"Just exactly what are you looking for, huh, boy? Tell me the truth or you can leave now!" Uncle Vernon snarled at the messy haired teenager.

"I told you!" Harry snapped at his Uncle. "Voldemort, the most evil dark wizard in a century, came back a year ago. Before, though, no one knew, and he kept quiet. But now everyone knows he is back and there are going to be a lot of deaths. Even muggle ones!" Harry finished quickly as Vernon opened his mouth to protest that deaths in the "freak" world would not be reported in the "normal" news. Harry had already read of the death of a wizarding family and two witches in the Daily Prophet.

As Harry glanced at his Aunt, he saw her shaking a bit, and a glint of fear passed across her eyes. At least someone knew a bit of the horror he was feeling at the thought of Voldemort on the loose.

"Shut up boy! Shut up! Do you want to be heard?" Uncle Vernon quickly strode towards the windows and hastily pulled it shut and the flowered curtains closed.

"Whatever!" Harry muttered as he turned back to the television, trying to ignore the pricks on his neck.

"This just in. Breaking news today in Kent, where the body of 32-year-old Jon Parkton has been found. Jon went missing on Tuesday of last week, and today authorities discovered his body. It mysteriously appeared back in his home, right under the noses of the police, as at least one officer at a time has been at Jon's house since he disappeared" reported the newsman.

"To add to the mystery of Jon's disappearance and murder, there had been an autopsy preformed on the body, and there is nothing wrong with him. He was not choked, stabbed, poisoned. He did not have a heart attack or anything of the like. In fact, Jon's wife tells us that he was a very healthy person. He ran at least a mile a day and more on weekends. Police will have a tough time sorting out this one, huh Joe? In other news…"

"Strange, that there were no markings or anything to suggest murder…" Petunia said to her husband.

"Yeah, but it will all come together in the end", he told her in a gruff voice. He was more interested in hearing the stocks.

"No, it won't be sorted out", Harry said softly, for he alone realized what the news report had really meant.

"What did you say?" Aunt Petunia barked sharply at him.

"It won't be sorted out, at least, not by muggles".

"And how would you know this?" Uncle Vernon snarled.

"Because. The body had no signs of the man being killed, except that he is not breathing. That is the mark, or non-mark, of the killing curse!" Harry yelled in exasperation.

"Shut up! I will not have you scaring my family with your hocus pocus, mumbo-jumbo nonsense!" So Harry did shut up for once, because he wanted to think, and that was hard to do with a huge man with a purple face screaming at you. It got especially distracting when he started pulling out his mustache.

So it had begun. The killings of muggles had started, and would not end until he, Harry, defeated Voldemort. The burden of the wizarding world was on his shoulders. _Neither can live while the other survives_. The words echoed in Harry's mind. And what if he didn't defeat Voldemort? What if Harry made another blunder like he had at the end of the last school year?

Don't think about that, Harry. You did not kill him. It was Bellatrix. She killed Sirius. Bellatrix. Her name made Harry's blood boil. He would get his revenge on her. She would get her just desserts. He would kill her. But what if he didn't?

What if Voldemort instead killed him? Then there would be no chance for anyone. Neither wizard nor muggle could stand a chance against Voldemort, or Bellatrix and any other of her death eater comrades. _Unless you were pure-blooded and evil_, Harry thought.

He was startled out of his thoughts by the sound of someone knocking on the door. Actually, it was more like they were trying to break down the door.

"What the hell!!!" Uncle Vernon yelled as he leapt up from his leather armchair. "If this has anything to do with you, boy!" he bellowed threateningly as he stomped towards the door. Just as he put his hand on the door knob, the door flung itself open and, to Aunt Petunia's horror, in walked Mad-eye Moody, magical eye completely revealed, Remus Lupin, looking shabbier, paler, and thinner than ever, Fred and George Weasley with their identical heads of flaming red hair, and lastly, Tonks, with robin's egg blue, short spiked hair.

"What… what…" Vernon stammered. Aunt Petunia was too shocked and horrified for words. She sank to the floor in a faint. Uncle Vernon was so mad that he didn't even notice his wife slumped on the floor.

"We have come for Harry, Dursley" Mad-eye Moody growled in his low voice. "He had better not be locked up in that cupboard with no food again, or there will be hell to pay!"

Harry laughed silently to himself as he watched his uncle's facial expressions. They went from shocked, angered, wide-eyed and red, to outraged and purple, to squished up and green as he nervously eyed Moody's hand in his coat, obviously clutching his wand.

"You… I… Harry…" Vernon sputtered.

"It's okay, Mad-eye. I'm right here," Harry said, fighting hard to keep his laughter concealed. His Aunt stirred on the floor, her eyes flickering open as she tried to lift herself up.

"Good to see you Harry", Remus said kindly as he moved towards Harry and pulled him into a fatherly hug. Aunt Petunia shook her head and commenced to yell.

"Out! Out! Out!" she screeched, more like a terrified Madame Promfrey than the threatening character she was hoping to appear as. Mad-eye just laughed at her attempts to dispel the intruders from her home, and Fred and George grinned at Harry.

"All right, there?" they called out in unison over Aunt Petunia's screams.

"Since you guys came I've been great, but I'll be even better if you get me out of here!" he replied, snickering.

"Will do," said Fred.

"That's what we're here for!" said George.

"This is a fine china cabinet you've got here! I like the craftsmanship. Very sturdy," Tonks commented in the dinning room. Then she hit the china cabinet, as if to check how sturdy it really was, and it came crashing down with a thud and the sound of many china dishes breaking.

"What have you done? Get away! Get away!" Aunt Petunia yelled in frustration at Tonks.

"Oh, terribly sorry, I am!" Tonks said. "I didn't mean to! But that's me for ya'. I'll help you clean up!"

"No. NO! Stop! Harry get up to your room, get your stuff, and get these wackos out of my house!" Petunia screeched. Harry took the stairs two at a time. He quickly threw all his school supplies haphazardly into his trunk. Then he grabbed Hedwig's cage and carried it downstairs with him while he dragged his trunk.

"Ready to go Harry?" Remus asked.

"I've been ready since I got back" Harry said truthfully. Remus smiled at him as Fred and George took his trunk.

"Get out! GET OUT!" Uncle Vernon bellowed at everyone assembled in the doorway.

"Reparo!" Remus shouted in the dining room, and the sounds of china repairing itself came through the doorway.

"Let's be off!" he said stealing a glance at Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia. "Quickly!" They all walked out of the house and began walking down the street. Aunt Petunia was staring at them all with a look of complete shock on her face. Most of the neighbors were outside, and they had seen the strange group of people leave Number 4. They watched the group walk away curiously, and when they rounded the corner, the looked back to the house, where Uncle Vernon had joined Aunt Petunia in staring out the door with a shocked look on his face.

"Charity for disfigured people looking for donations!" he called out to the neighborhood. "Won't take no for an answer!" He then quickly pulled Petunia back inside and shut the door forcefully.

Meanwhile, Harry was having a lovely time imagining the state his relatives must be in.

"So, where was that big oaf?" Fred asked.

"Vandalizing some park with his gang, I suppose" Harry told them. "Or as he likes to call it 'having tea'". Fred and George frowned.

"Too bad. We had a new sweet for him to try out for us. Would you care to try it, Harry?" they asked him. Harry scrutinized the twins before saying:

"It won't kill me, will it?" Fred and George shook their heads. "I suppose I will then!" He took the hard blue candy from George's outstretched hand.

"Mmmmm. Blue-Raspberry!" Harry said. Then all of a sudden, it felt like there were two weights on the side of his head, which drooped a few inches.

"What the heck!" Everyone else was now laughing hysterically at him. "What?" he asked. Remus conjured a mirror and gave it to Harry. When he looked in it, even he had to laugh. His ears had grown to a gigantic size. Like the size of baby elephant ears!

"Jumbo Dumbo candy" Fred told him.

They all continued walking, with someone every once in a while making some witty comment on Harry's new ears (Tonks had cast a glamour on Harry's ears to they would look normal to muggles).

"You'll be able to hear things five miles away with those, Harry!" said Fred, who kept the most comments running.

"_Anyways_…" Harry stressed the word, looking at the twins. "Are we walking all the way to Grimmuald Place?" he asked Remus.

"No. As a matter of fact, here is our stop". They had arrived at an alley littered with trash.

"Oh" Harry said, now understanding how they were arriving at Grimmuald Place. Moody looked around and spotted an empty soup can.

"Here we go," he growled at everyone. They all stepped into the shadows and touched the can.

"5… 4… 3… 2… 1…" Moody counted down. And then Harry felt the familiar tugging at his stomach, and he was whisked away to Grimmuald Place.

Harry landed with a thud on the sidewalk. He stood up and looked around.

"All right. Now everyone, concentrate" Tonks said cheerfully. They all thought about 12 Grimmuald Place. And then with a 'pop' it appeared. Everyone walked up the steps and through the door. Everyone except Harry. Remus turned around and saw Harry staring at the house with a strange expression on his face.

"Come on Harry. It is okay", Remus said soothingly.

"I… I killed him" Harry choked, straining to hold back tears.

"No you didn't Harry"

"I as good as did!" Harry shouted.

"No. Bellatrix killed him. You did nothing except try to save someone you love. No one blames you for that, certainly". Harry exhaled deeply.

"All right. Let's go". Harry and Remus walked in the front door and shut it quietly, so they would not disturb Mrs. Black's portrait. As they walked into the living room, Harry was nearly knocked over by two blurs that raced at him.

"Harry! Oh, I'm so glad you're here!" Hermione said happily while smirking at him.

"Thank goodness you are okay!" Ginny said, trying to conceal her giggles.

"What would've happened to me? Ol' Voldy's not going to get me with big bad Dudley around!" he joked. Ginny just hugged him tighter.

"Um, Gin, you can let go now". Ginny pulled back.

"Oh, sorry!" she said blushingly as she stepped back. As Harry got a good look at her, he realized how pretty she was. What? He thought to himself. This is Ginny! Your best friends little sister! But a very beautiful best friends sister. Her auburn hair shone in the light, and her blue eyes sparkled.

"How's it going, Harry?" someone called out to him. Harry shook himself out of his stupor and looked around. He jumped.

"Whoa, what are you all doing here?" he shouted, surprised. Around the room were various Hogwart's students.

"Our parents or guardians joined the Order, and so now we stay here sometimes when they have to do work or something" Susan Bones told him. She was smirking at him too.

"Okay, why is everyone trying not to smile?" Then they all gave up and burst out laughing.

"Can you hear us okay, Harry?" asked Seamus, who had called out to him the first time.

" Yeah, I can hear you just-" Harry stopped abruptly as he lifted his hand to scratch his head. But he couldn't scratch his head, as it was blocked by huge ears!!! He had forgotten all about them.

"Fred! George!" he shouted.

"Coming!" They ran into the room. "Reducio" they said, and Harry's ears shrank back to normal size. "We were wondering how long it would take you to remember!"

"I see you have been eating some of Fred and Georges's Jumbo Dumbo candy!" said Ron.

"Could you really tell?!" Harry asked mock-anxiously, trying to cover up his embarrassment at being seen like that by everyone, and especially being seen like that by Ginny. Everyone was still laughing at him.

"Sirius would have liked to see that" Harry said suddenly. This quieted everyone immediately. Everyone sat in silence, but luckily Molly saved them.

"Come on everyone! Dinner is ready!" she called out to them as she swept past the doorway. Hermione, Ron, and Ginny gave Harry anxious looks as they walked with him to dinner, but Harry just ignored them.

Dinner cheered Harry up. It was nice to be there with his friends from school. He decided it would be best for him not to brood about Sirius. That would make everyone else feel sad, too, and Harry was sure that was not how Sirius would want him to feel. So he would block the memories out of his mind as much as possible. And besides, maybe Sirius wasn't dead! After all, for all Harry knew about that veil and archway, Sirius could come walking through the door at any minute.

After dinner Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Seamus, and Susan trooped back to the living room, where Ron and Seamus played wizard's chess, Susan and Hermione talked about the scores they thought they had received on their O.W.L.s, and Ginny and Harry just sat.

"So, how come everyone is here right now?" Harry asked. "What is the Order doing?"

"Oh, they are at a big meeting with the Ministry right now" Hermione informed him.

"Yeah, and as usual, they won't tell us a thing!" Ron said exasperatedly.

"Well, it is for our own safety!" Susan said indignantly.

"Bugger safety" Ron muttered as he turned back to his game.

"Is anyone else coming?" Harry asked.

"No one we know" Ginny answered him. "But the Order has been recruiting witches and wizards internationally since the end of the school year. There is a family coming from America tomorrow. They are related to the Delacours, who have also been recruited. Fleur and her family are also arriving from France tomorrow".

Ron muttered something that sounded strangely like 'more Veelas!' Harry smiled to himself, remembering Ron's embarrassing moments with Fleur in the fourth year.

"Let's listen to the radio" Seamus said. Ginny got up and turned on the wizard's radio in the corner of the room.

"That was 'Enchantress' by the Weird Sisters; the number one song on today's charts!"

"Aw dam it! I love that song!" Ginny whined.

"And I'm Selena Warbeck, and this is the Bewitching Hour! In news today, the Ministry has not yet been able to capture the death eaters who murdered Jon Parkton. Parkton was renowned for his generous donations to both wizarding and muggle charities, and he will be missed by many. Now, here is the latest song from the Frog Princes".

"Hey! He was on the muggle news, too!" Harry said.

"Yeah. The muggles have been noticing strange things all summer so far", Hermione informed him.

"Yeah…" Harry said vaguely. He wondered how he could ever manage to destroy the most evil dark wizard in a century. But for now, Harry was just going to worry about how badly Ron was going to beat him at wizard's chess, as Seamus had just lost the game.

You read and review my story, tell me to read and review one of yours and I will!


	3. The New Girl

Chapter Two: The New Girl

A/N: The typos when Fleur is speaking are on purpose. I am trying to do her accent. Key word here is _trying_.

"Careful…slowly…slowly" Harry said to himself as he lowered a card onto the card house he, Ron, and Seamus were making from Ron's Exploding Snap pack. "Ah, yes!" he said loudly as the card fell into place.

"Good one, mate," said Ron. "But watch this". Ron picked up a card and slowly lowered it onto the card house in a precarious position. Hermione looked up from the book she was reading on the couch and glanced up at the clock.

"When were the new members and their kid supposed to arrive, again?" she asked them.

"Around one" Harry answered her as he watched Seamus take his turn. It had been a lot more cheerful around Grimmuald Place with the kids of the new members of the Order around, but Harry still couldn't get rid of the pit in his stomach. Even though Sirius was gone, Harry had been trying to be happy, because he knew that is what Sirius would have wanted, but it was hard for him to stop blaming himself for Sirius's death. And it had been even harder since he had returned to Grimmuald Place, knowing that it was once Sirius's house, but now it, and all of Sirius's possessions, was his, Harry's, because he had been stupid enough to get Sirius killed about a month ago.

"They are 15 minutes late," Hermione said.

"Mad observation skills you got there, Hermione," said Ron. Hermione just sniffed at him and returned to her book.

"So who are these people?" Seamus asked. Harry answered him as he took his turn again.

"They are an American wizarding family, and the parents got their jobs transferred to England so they could help fight Voldemort".

"What work do they do?"

"They're Aurors," Ron answered him, now placing a card on the house.

"Do they have any kids?" Seamus continued with his questions.

"One, but we don't know anything about them for now, even if it is a boy or girl," Hermione piped up.

Just then, a lot of things happened at once. Seamus had put his card on the top of the card house, and the whole thing had exploded with an almighty bang and a cloud of red smoke. Also the doorbell rang, and as a result of all the noise, the portrait of Mrs. Black had started screaming.

"I'll get the door and the painting!" Mrs. Weasley called from the kitchen. Harry, Ron, and Seamus began picking up the cards that had been scattered around the room at the explosion, some still fluttering to the floor.

"More muggle lovers!" Mrs. Black screamed. "The filth! Bloody imbeciles, dirtying up my house! Leave this place! The noble and ancient House of Black!"

After a minute, Mrs. Weasley had obviously pulled forward the curtains on Mrs. Black's portrait, because the mad shrieking had stopped and voices could be heard conversing from the hall. Soon after, Mrs. Weasley came into the room.

"Kids, this is the Amore family. This is Aimee and Mark Amore" she said, gesturing to the two adults behind her. "And this is Desiree Amore. Come now, dear, don't be shy," said Mrs. Weasley kindly. She pulled forward a girl from behind Mr. and Mrs. Amore. Ron, Harry, and Seamus (Whose eyebrows were still smoking) all glanced up at her, and their mouths fell open at the sight of her. She was stunning with shiny brownish, golden-blonde hair that cascaded down her back and icy, yet bright, curious sapphire-blue eyes, which were momentarily cast down upon the floor in front of her. She was dressed in low-rise jeans with a studded belt and a blue tank top that matched her eyes perfectly. She pushed back her hair to reveal her ears having been pierced two times, and once on the top of her right ear. She looked strangely familiar to Ron, Harry, and Hermione, but they couldn't say why.

"_Bonjour_" Desiree said quietly. She lifted her head shyly and glanced nervously at all of them.

"Would someone show Desiree to her room?" Mrs. Weasley asked. The boys showed no sign of having heard Mrs. Weasley, and Hermione got up and harrumphed at them before saying:

"I'll take you to your room Desiree. You have the one next to mine and Ginny's," she said. She motioned for Desiree to follow her. The blonde girl followed Hermione out the door and up the stairs reluctantly. As soon as Desiree was out of sight, the boys regained semi-consciousness.

"I'll just give you two the grand tour, shall I?" Mrs. Weasley said warmly to the remaining Amores, and they nodded happily and followed her back out into the hallway.

"Wow," Ron said. All three boys were still getting rid of the initial shock of the beautiful girl.

"Yeah, wow," said Seamus and Harry. The boys continued to pick up the strewn cards, and they finished right before they heard footsteps descending the stairs. As Hermione and Desiree walked back into the room, all three boys stood up hastily.

"And this is Ron, Seamus, and Harry," Hermione told Desiree, who glanced up at the sound of Harry's name.

"So you're _Monsieur_ Harry Potter…" she said softly. She walked towards Harry and lifted her hands up to brush away his messy hair. She softly touched the scar on his forehead, but then hastily withdrew her hand.

"One of my aunts and uncle and cousins were killed by Voldemort when I was just born. I never knew them," she said, almost to herself.

"I-I'm sorry," Harry stammered. He desperately hoped no one else could hear his heart beating, as it was very loud. Desiree glanced at him with her icy, clear blue eyes.

"_Merci_, but it is not your fault. And besides, you are the one who will be his down fall," she said calmly.

"How did you know that?" Harry asked, surprised. He had not even told Ron and Hermione about the prophecy yet. So how could this girl know about it?

"I just got the impression," she answered quickly, looking away. The four kids had the feeling she wasn't telling them something, but they all decided to over look it for now.

"Well, dinner will be ready soon, so lets all head into the kitchen!" Hermione said brightly.

"Doesn't she look familiar to you?" Ron asked Harry quietly, as they all left the living room.

"Yeah, she does, but I can't figure out why," Harry told him.

They all walked into the kitchen and sat down at the long table, Desiree bringing up the rear. Soon, more residents of the house and Order members came pouring in. Bill, Charlie, Mr. Weasley, Ginny, Remus Lupin, Mad-eye Moody, and Tonks were some of the many people now in the kitchen (Fred and George were working at their shop in Diagon Alley). Later, Mrs. Weasley returned with the Amores and the Delacours, who had just arrived. The moment Desiree saw Fleur, her face lit up.

"Fleur! Fleur!" she called. When Fleur spotted Desiree she immediately ran over to her.

"Hey Dez!" Fleur exclaimed, hugging Desiree. They could have passed as sisters, but not as twins. Desiree's golden hair had streaks of light brown in it, compared to Fleur's all around silvery-whitish blonde, and there were other differences in their faces and eyes, too, but they still looked like each other.

"Eeet's soooo good to see you! _Bonjour_ 'arry!" she added smiling, spotting Harry. He nodded and grinned back at her in greeting.

"Same here! I'm so glad I have a friend here!" Desiree cried back. Then she glanced over at the Weasley kids (Ginny had sat down between Ron and Harry after being introduced to Desiree), Hermione, Harry, and Seamus. "Not to say that you guys won't become my friends, it's just, I already know Fleur," she said quickly. "We're cousins".

"We understand," Harry said. Desiree smiled at him and he was surprised he didn't melt in his seat, and that he could say a coherent sentence in front of her.

"That is why you look so familiar!" cried Ron.

"What?" Desiree said, looking startled.

"You look like Fleur," Ron said.

"You knew Fleur before?" Desiree asked.

"Yeah, from the Triwizard Tournament in fourth year" Hermione told her. "But this is the first time she has been by the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix".

"_Oui_, my parents 'ave just beeen here before, but now es the first time Gabrielle and I 'ave come weeth them" Fleur told Desiree. As if on cue, Gabrielle trotted over to Fleur. When she saw Desiree her eyes lit up.

"Dezzy!" she cried, and she flung herself in Desiree's arms.

"Hey, girl! Wow, you have gotten taller since I last saw you! What have you been eating?" Desiree joked with her little cousin. Gabrielle smiled brightly at her. Then she spotted Harry.

"Hi Harry!" she said eagerly.

"Hello Gabrielle. Long time no see, eh?" Harry said to her. Gabrielle giggled.

"How do you know Gabrielle? Surely she wasn't at the Triwizard Tournament?" asked Desiree, puzzled.

"She was part of one of thee tasks and 'arry saved 'er," Fleur told Desiree. "Even though he didn't have to".

"Wow. That is pretty cool," Desiree said softly. Harry felt his face flush.

Dinner was about to start, so Gabrielle left to sit with her parents, but Fleur sat down next to Desiree and began chatting with her. Harry noticed Desiree didn't eat much, but that she just picked at her food with her fork with a distracted look on her face, listening to Fleur talk away. He also noticed how often Fleur's eyes darted down the table to where Bill was sitting.

Soon Fleur's talk slowed and Hermione began to point out other Hogwarts students to Desiree.

"Down at that end of the table is Parvati and Padma Patil. Parvati is in Gyrffindor with us, and Padma is in Ravenclaw. And that girl with the pig-tails? That's Hannah Abott, from Hufflepuff. She's sitting with Ernie Macmillian, and he is also from Hufflepuff. And down there is Viktor Krum and his parents. He doesn't go to Hogwarts, but he was also in the Triwizard Tournament," she said quickly.

At that moment, Krum looked down the table and saw Hermione, and he smiled and waved at her. Hermione waved back to him. Ron watched this exchange with a stony look on his face. He still wouldn't admit that he liked Hermione. Harry sighed to himself, wondering whether he ever would. He also found himself wondering if Desiree could ever like him, and if he liked her, if he could admit it to her.

"I wonder what house I will be in," Desiree thought out loud.

"I hope you are in Gryffindor with us, Desiree!" said Ron, Harry, and Seamus enthusiastically. Desiree smiled her bright smile at them, and they grinned back.

Suddenly Desiree gasped and pointed down the table. Everyone leaned over to see what she was looking at and laughed when they saw Tonks. She had been entertaining everyone else for the past few minutes, and had a huge nose with many hairs sticking out, a bright yellow Mohawk, and huge, floppy ears, much like the ones Harry had had the other day. She looked ridiculous.

"Harry, my inspiration!" Tonks called out as she saw Harry looking her way. Harry reddened and hoped no one would reveal the embarrassing story of his elephant ears to Desiree.

"That's Tonks," Seamus told Desiree. "She's-"

"A Metamorphagus," Desiree finished. Everyone stared at her.

"How did you know that?" Hermione asked. "They are really rare, so no one really knows about them, except for people who read a lot". Desiree began to look uncomfortable.

"_I _read a lot," she said, not meeting anyone's eyes. Fleur looked concerned and leaned over to whisper something in Desiree's ear. Desiree shook her head no when Fleur leaned back. Then she glanced at everyone else, who had been watching the whole thing interestedly. Again, they all silently decided not to say anything-yet.

After dessert, people began trickling out of the house one by one, after thanking Mrs. Weasley for the delicious dinner. After Seamus had left with his parents, and the Delacours had left also, Hermione suggested that they all go up to someone's room to hang out. So Hermione, Harry, Ron, Ginny, and Desiree all headed up to the boy's room.

In the hallway, Viktor Krum and his parents were getting their cloaks and thanking Mrs. Weasley when Viktor spotted Hermione once again.

"Hermowninny. It is good to see you," he said in his low voice. Hermione blushed and looked up at him.

"It's good to see you too, Viktor".

"Haff you decided to come visit this summer?"

"Um, no. Well, actually, I don't think I will be able to make it". Hermione quickly glanced at Ron, but Krum saw it. He stared at Hermione for a minute. Finally he said:

"Vell, just be sure to vrite me, okay?"

"Yes, I'll be sure. Bye Viktor!" Hermione said as he left. She sighed and looked around. Everyone was staring at her.

"What!" she yelled irritably. This shook everyone out of their trance, and they continued up the stairs.

When they got to they boy's room, Harry sat on his bed, Ron sat on his, Ginny sprawled herself on the floor, Hermione sat at the edge of Ron's bed, and Desiree sat in a chair in the corner. Harry couldn't help noticing how Desiree's hair shone especially bright in the light.

"So, Desiree, tell us about yourself," Ginny said. Desiree looked at all of them.

"Okay. I'll tell you _some_ stuff about me. The rest can wait until later". The kids looked at one another in confusion. What did she mean by "_some"_ stuff?

"I come from America-"

"Which state?" Hermione asked.

"California. L.A., California. I used to go to the American Witches and Wizards Institute. I am really French, though, because I was born in France".

"How come you haven't got an accent like Fleur, then?" Ginny asked.

"I was only six months old when my parents moved to America, so naturally there was no time for me to develop a real accent, _non_?"

"But your parents haven't got accents, either. They just don't say their H's," Ron said.

"That is because my _maman_ and _papa_ just lost them after spending fifteen and a half years in America. Except, of course, for the H thing. Usually, though, I say French words. I do it because I grew up hearing my parents talk like that".

"Are you excited to be here?" Harry asked her. Desiree stared at the ground.

"No. My parents made me come with them. I wanted to go live with my grandma, but my parents didn't want me to live with her for two years. So they dragged me away from my friends and boyfriend to come here," she finished bitterly. Ron and Harry's faces had fallen at the mention of a boyfriend.

"So you're our age, then?" Hermione asked.

"I'll be sixteen on September 10th".

"That's 9 days before my birthday!" Hermione exclaimed.

"Really?" Desiree asked. "That's pretty cool. I had a friend in Cali whose birthday was on the same day as mine, but a different year".

"You have a boyfriend?" Harry and Ron blurted out. They just couldn't help themselves.

"Well, not really anymore. I broke up with him before I left. I just didn't want him to be tied up with me when I am a continent away. And, I know I really love Jason, but what if I met someone else? I'd like to keep my options open, without having to feel guilty about hurting Jason's feelings. Imagine if I didn't brake up with him and one day I mirror him and say 'Oh, Jason, hi. Um, yeah, we're through. I met this other guy, and I just like him better'. I think that would hurt more, _non_? I just had to take everything into consideration, you know?"

"What do you mean 'mirror'" asked Ginny.

"_Mon Dieu_! Don't you know what a mirror is?" Desiree said, looking surprised.

"Not the way you put it," Harry said. Desiree pulled out a small compact from her pocket and showed it to them.

"See, if I just tap it with my wand," she said, showing them. "I can say the name of a person with a mirror like this and I can see them and talk to them".

Harry gazed at it. It was almost the exact same thing Sirius had given him after Christmas last year, except more modern. If he had just opened it when Sirius had given it to him… _No, don't think about that!_, Harry told himself savagely.

Ron brought him back to reality by asking what kinds of mirrors the guys had, hoping they didn't carry around compacts in America. Desiree laughed at this.

"I can just imagine all the wizard G's in L.A. walking around with compacts!" she cried. "_Non_, guys have square or circular mirrors bigger than this, but still small. Girls have them too; I just like to use my compact better".

After a bit more chatting about Desiree's life in America, everyone grew tired and trotted off to bed. Harry lay awake for a while, thinking about Desiree and the attractive way she spoke French words.

A/N: I am not sure about the thing about people not knowing much about metamorphagus; it just makes more sense in my story.

And if you are hoping for this story to have something to do with the title, it may or may not. I have to think up something good for the end that has to do with a half blood prince… I just picked the title because that is the title for sure of the 6th book, and I am going to try to put things in my story that J.K. said would happen in the next book, and things that I think will happen in the next book. If that made any sense at all to you. LOL!

You read and review my story, tell me to read and review one of yours and I will!


	4. Late Night Meetings

The Late Night Meeting

_Bang, crash! _

"Bloody hell!" came the yell from a room inside Grimmuald Place. Harry opened his eyes, which were watering. He looked around and realized he was sprawled on the floor in a room which he had never been in. When his vision cleared more, he realized there was a low dresser in front of him. He concluded that he had been sleep walking, and he must have bumped into it just then. That would account for the throbbing pain in his knee and lower leg. Harry pushed himself up off of the floor, wondering why he had been sleepwalking. And what room was this?

He was about to leave when he saw the window was open. He took a step forward to close it, but then he saw something very strange. Thousands of tiny, silver specs, like glitter dust, began fluttering through the window, all moving together as if they were one. They swirled faster and faster, especially near the floor. They formed feet. They moved upward and formed legs, a stomach, arms, a neck, and lastly, a head.

It was a person. Harry couldn't tell who it was, except that is was a girl because of the long hair. They were just out of reach of the moon's rays. Then the person sighed longingly. They stepped out in front of the window, and Harry could see the shiny sheets of golden blonde, brown streaked hair. Harry's stomach flipped.

"Desiree?!" Harry said. Desiree's head whipped around and she looked at him in horror.

"W-what are you doing here?" she stammered.

"I was sleep walking and I crashed into this dresser. I was going to shut the window, but then I saw…" Harry trailed off, not knowing what to say. "What was that?" Desiree sighed again.

"I knew you would eventually find out, just not so soon…" she said, almost as if to herself.

"I have… unique gifts," she continued. "What you just saw… it was one of them… I can become invisible".

"And that is just one?" Harry said skeptically.

"_Oui_. There is more, but I don't really want to tell you right now. I will eventually".

"But if you were invisible, you still couldn't have been outside… We're on the second floor… But the silver particles… they were coming _in_ the window," Harry said, trying to comprehend this shocking information.

"When I am invisible I can fly," Desiree said matter-of-factly.

"So you can become invisible… and you can fly…" Harry said, still trying to get it through his head.

"_Oui. Tres bien_" she said, smiling.

"Well then. That is pretty cool". Desiree just smiled that smile at him, and Harry's heart started beating faster. She walked slowly towards him.

"It is late, _Monsieur_ Potter. You had better be off to bed!" she said mock sternly. Then she rose up on her tip-toes and gave him a kiss on his cheek. Harry's stomach did about fifty flip-flops in a row just then.

"_Bonne nuit_, Harry" she whispered in his ear.

"Night" he said. He wondered if you could have a heart attack at fifteen. He left the room and shut the door quietly behind him. When he got back into bed, all he could think about was that kiss. _Was it a sort of invitation? Or was it just a friendly peck on the cheek?_, Harry wondered to himself. He fell asleep with the image of Desiree smiling at him.

After about twenty minutes later Desiree got out of her bed. She opened her door slowly and looked down the hall. No one was out. She walked a couple paces down the hall to Hermione's room. She peered inside. Hermione was fast asleep. Now was Desiree's chance to learn some things about these new people. She crept to Hermione's bed. She closed her eyes and concentrated on feeling Hermione's mind, her dreams. She softly touched her head to form a stronger connection, but not strong enough so that she would appear in the dream.

Immediately a sort of movie was playing in front of Desiree's eyes. An old lady with spectacles and her hair tight in a bun was yelling at Hermione.

"Miss Granger! You have failed your O.W.L.s! You have received the worst scores of anyone to pass through Hogwarts!" the woman yelled. Then she beckoned to a round faced boy standing in the corner.

"Neville, on the other hand," the woman continued more calmly, "has gotten the best scores since Professor Dumbledore came to this school".

"Nooooooooooooo!" Hermione screamed. She was in tears. Desiree decided to just change the dream a little. Her new friend was obviously having a nightmare. She concentrated, and soon the office Hermione was in evaporated, along with the teacher and the round-faced boy.

Hermione was now on a tropical island. Desiree smiled. Who wouldn't like that? Then she thought of something better. She had noticed a little tension between Hermione and Ron during dinner, and she could guess they liked each other but were each too scared to admit it. Desiree pictured Ron in her mind, and imagined him on the beach with Hermione. He appeared, and Hermione's face brightened immediately. She decided she would leave now. This was private.

Desiree blinked and she was back in the room. She wistfully remembered the vacation her family had taken along with Jason's family to the Bahamas. How she wished she was back at that time with familiar people instead of here in this dark house with a bunch of strangers! (Though the young guy strangers were pretty cute).

Hermione sighed contentedly. Desiree resisted the urge to return to her dream. That was Hermione's business, not hers. Desiree always tried to never abuse her powers if she could help it, but sometimes the temptation was just too much.

The one power Desiree really wished she could get rid of was her Veela power. She could control the Veela powers most of the time, though, but other times the guys just went crazy around her, especially when she was feeling a very strong emotion.

Desiree was proud of herself, though. She thought the guys at Grimmuald Place were very cute, especially Harry, but she had managed to not let out any Veela power at all today.

Next Desiree went into Ron's room. She smiled as soon as she was in the dream. She didn't need to do anything here, because Ron was already dreaming about Hermione.

Desiree frowned when she saw Ginny's dream. Ginny and Harry were having a romantic, candle-lit dinner, and were holding hands across the table. So she would obviously have some competition for Harry. But that was okay. Desiree knew she could get Harry if she wanted, (even without using her powers most guys still wanted her), but if Ginny really liked Harry, Desiree wouldn't get in the way. That would be mean and unfair to Ginny. After all, she was here first.

Lastly, Desiree entered Harry's room. She smiled. Harry looked so cute, with his hair even messier than it had been this evening, from turning in his sleep. Slowly Desiree reached out with her hands. His hair felt silky and smooth. Then she closed her eyes and reached out with her mind for the fourth time that night. She pushed through Harry's mind extra hard, so she would actually be in the dream, not just watching it.

She immediately fell into a dark room, with stone benches all around. The atmosphere told Desiree that Harry was dreaming about something that had really happened. Then she heard a shout, and a high pitched hysterical laugh.

Desiree turned around. In the center of the room was an archway with a veil over it. A dark haired woman was laughing as a dark haired man fell in slow motion thorugh the veil. Harry was watching helplessly off to the side. He kept trying to run to the man, but there was something like an invisible wall blocking him. Then, the wall that could not be seen was gone, and Harry ran towards the falling man, but he reached him just as his feet slipped through the veil.

"NOOOOOOOOOOO!" Harry screamed in agony. He turned around and shouted at the woman:

"YOU KILLED HIM! YOUR OWN COUSIN!!! HOW COULD YOU?"

"Wittle Sirius was a big, bad, bwood twaitor, and he deserved it" the woman taunted Harry in a baby's voice. "And now, Meester Potter, it's your turn!" she cried triumphantly. She raised her wand in slow motion.

"No!" Desiree shouted. She rushed down the stairs. As she was leaping over the stone benches she used one of her other powers. The dark haired woman was thrown against the wall, and she evaporated.

"Harry!" Desiree cried as she reached him. "Who were those people?"

"The woman was Bellatrix Lesterange, and the man was my godfather, Sirius Black," Harry said gravely.

"Sirius Black is your godfather?" Desiree asked. "But didn't he murder-"

"Sirius was not a murderer!" Harry shouted angrily. "And he _was_ my godfather, until I killed him!"

"Shhhhh. Harry, it's okay," Desiree said soothingly. Harry collapsed on the floor with his face in his hands. Desiree sat down beside him and put her arms around him. "You didn't kill him Harry. I saw. It was that Bellatrix Lesterange".

Desiree decided they needed a change of scenery, and she thought about the lake a few miles away from her old home. Slowly the room with the ancient looking veil and archway faded, and they were sitting by the lake shore with a picnic. Desiree looked around with a bitter sweet feeling, remembering all the times Jason had brought _her_ here for picnics. But he was part of her past now. She had to move on. Though it was going to be hard to do.

"Have some apple pie!" Desiree said brightly, holding out a plate to him. Harry looked up and saw that the surroundings had changed.

He looked at her and said "Desiree, is this another one of your powers, to be in people's dreams, or am I really just dreaming?" Desiree laughed.

"I am really here" she said to him. Harry smiled at her and took the apple pie. They ate in silence for awhile, enjoying the scenery. And Desiree was enjoying Harry's company.

"Desiree…" Harry said.

"Yes?" she prompted him.

"You-you look really beautiful" he finished. Harry blushed and looked down at his sandwich. Desiree just smiled. She could feel that this was Harry's real feelings, not dream ones.

"And you don't look so bad yourself" she told him. Harry looked relieved and excited at her words, and soon he reached over and held her hand. They just sat there for a while longer, chatting. After a few minutes more, Desiree got up.

"Leaving all ready?" Harry asked disappointedly.

"_Oui_," she said, grinning. "I may have all these awesome super natural powers, but I still need to sleep. Bye," she said, and she kissed him on the cheek for the second time that night.

And then she was back in Harry's room. She didn't break the connection, though, and she removed the dream from Harry's memory. She didn't want him (or anyone, for that matter) to know too much about her yet, and that dream had revealed a lot. Like the fact that she thought Harry was hot, and that she had the power to penetrate people's minds.

People usually forgot their dreams anyways, but Desiree didn't want to take any chances.

She crept down the hallway and back into her room. So, she had learned Hermione was worried about her O.W.L.s, whatever those were, Hermione and Ron liked each other, Ginny had the hots for Harry, and Harry had a godfather who he thought he had killed, and he also thought she, Desiree, was pretty. An interesting group, Desiree thought as she drifted asleep.

A/N: If you are thinking that Desiree is this girl who is going to seduce every guy in town, you're wrong. True, she does flirt a lot, and a lot of guys will like her, but she wants guys to like her for who she is, not how strong a veela spell she can put on them. She is just bold and friendly and flirty. Anyways, Desiree won't be totally desperate for guys like some people I know are…

And if you are curious about the rest of Desiree's powers, don't worry. You will find out as the story goes along.

Two more things. If you like this story, please tell me in a review because I don't want to write a story no one is going to read! And also, vote on whether you want Harry to get together with Ginny or Desiree. He will eventually get together with both of them, but who do you want him to be with first? Tell me what you think, on everything!

You read and review my story, tell me to read and review one of yours and I will!


	5. The Best One Ever

Chapter 4- The Best One Ever

Harry woke up the next morning around noon feeling that something was missing, that he was forgetting something. Not knowing how true that feeling was, he got up and dressed before heading down to breakfast (Ron's bed already empty). He pushed open the door to the kitchen and nearly fell backwards.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY HARRY!" a crescendo of voices cried out to him in greeting.

"Whoa-what the heck?!" Harry said, hastily placing his glasses back in position on the bridge of his nose. There were streamers and balloons all around the room, and music was playing from an unidentifiable source.

"Hey Harry! Happy Birthday!" Hermione said to Harry as she hugged him.

"It's my birthday?" Harry asked foggily.

"Didn't forget your own birthday, did you mate?" Ron asked in a teasing, mock concerned voice.

"Actually, I did," Harry told him.

"Wow. How could you forget your own birthday?" Desiree asked Harry as she joined them all.

"I don't know. It was just, so much happened in a few days. I left the Dursley's, came here to Sirius' old house, and you and your parents arrived. It just slipped my mind. And I never really looked forward to my birthday before. The Dursley's never did anything special for me," Harry explained to her.

"Well that is all about to change!" said Hermione.

"Well, that's good. I would like to have a decent party at least once in my life, or at least before I get old and turn 30," Harry said jokingly.

"Yeah, well just wait until we can have a few drinks at your party!" Ron said excitedly.

"Ron!" said Hermione sternly.

"I was just joking, 'Mione!" Ron protested. Harry highly doubted this, but he let it go. He left Ron and Hermione to their bickering and stared around the kitchen looking for someone, but not knowing exactly who he was looking for. Then his eyes fell on Desiree, who was now chatting with Seamus, and he instantly felt warmer. He started walking her way when someone stopped him.

"Happy birthday Harry!" Ginny said happily. Harry smiled down at her as his stomach gave a jump.

"Thanks, Gin" he told her. He had forgotten all about how he had started being attracted to Ginny before Desiree came. It was true; she was looking less and less like the little girl she used to be. She looked much older and more mature, but she was still fun to be around.

Ginny just stood there for a few minutes looking at Harry until he finally said "Um, was there something you wanted to tell me?"

"Oh, of course. Here you go…" Ginny said as she handed him a package. Harry tore it open to reveal a silver watch. He took it out and examined it closely. It looked expensive.

"Ginny, you didn't have to get this for me! This looks like it cost a lot of money!" Harry exclaimed.

"But I wanted to, and I knew you still hadn't gotten a new watch from the time in fourth year when your old one got broken in the lake. And if you look on the back, you will see the inscription".

Harry turned the watch around and read 'To Harry from Ginny. Happy sixteenth birthday!!!'

"Well, if you insist," Harry said uncertainly. He slipped on the watch. "Just wait to see what you get for your birthday!" Ginny giggled and then crossed the room to talk to one of her friends.

"That was nice of Ginny" said a soft voice from behind Harry, who felt his temperature rise.

"Yeah, it was", Harry said as he turned and faced Desiree. "I don't know how she got the money for it... She shouldn't have wasted it on something for me".

"She should have if she really wanted to. She is just trying to say she cares about you, _non_?", Desiree asked.

_But in what way?_, Harry wondered. He hadn't realized he had spoken out loud until Desiree answered him.

"You'll have to figure that out for yourself". Harry shook himself out of his daze and looked at her. She was smiling at him, and his stomach flip-flopped just like every other time she had smiled at him. Eventually Harry had to turn away, feeling that if he just stood there and stared at her she might begin to think he was creepy or something. He looked around the room instead. He was still feeling that nagging feeling that he was forgetting something from when he woke up.

"You know", Harry began. "I have this strange feeling, like I am not remembering something that I should be remembering". Harry was still staring around the room, so he did not see the look of slight alarm that passed over Desiree's face for a moment.

"Really?" she asked. "Maybe it was just forgetting about your birthday".

"No, that's not it," Harry said, frowning.

"Oh, well. If it was really important, you would remember it, wouldn't you?"

"Yeah, I guess so".

"So just forget about it and have fun. It's your birthday!"

"Was that supposed to be a joke?"

"Was what supposed to be a joke?" Desiree asked, looking confused.

"The 'Just forget about it' thing…"

"Oh, _non_. No pun intended. But if it was supposed to be a joke, would you think I am funnier?"

"No, I wouldn't".

"Then it wasn't a joke! Come on; introduce me to some more people!" Desiree said as she grabbed Harry by the arm and led him through the rooms on the bottom floor of the house.

Harry introduced Desiree to a lot of people, and as he did, they gave him his presents. His favorites were from the Weasley's who gave him a huge box full of Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes merchandise, Hermione, who gave him a book called 'Spells to Do Just For the Fun of It When You Are Bored Stupid' by Chester Golster, and a wizarding stress ball from Tonks. This was a sky blue ball filled with micro-beads, and when you squeezed it, it immediately took effect. It makes you calmer and more rational right away. Harry thought it would be good to have if he ever got angry at people like he had last year. And, of course, he really liked the watch from Ginny.

"I am sorry that I didn't get you a gift, Harry" Desiree said sadly.

"It's all right; it's not your fault. Besides, I have gotten practically more stuff than I can handle from everyone here".

"I still want to get you a gift" she said.

"Well, just don't go out of your way to find me one. I really am perfectly fine without one".

"I won't change my mind. I love getting my friends presents"

"So, I am your friend now" Harry asked, grinning at her. Desiree smiled mischievously.

"Maybe…" she trailed off, still smiling. "Oh well. For now this will have to do!" She pushed her self up onto her tip-toes and kissed Harry on the cheek for the second day in a row. Harry felt his face burn.

"_Au revoir_ Harry! Happy Birthday!" she called back to him cheerfully as she headed off in Hermione's direction.

After Harry got over his daze, he collected his presents and lugged them all upstairs (It took two trips) to his now permanent bedroom, since Grimmuald Place was now his house. As he arranged the presents around the room, he realized his room was now becoming homier, with his stuff scattered around it.

"Hey Harry" said Ron, who had followed him upstairs on the second trip. "Time for cake! Mum made a gigantic one so there would be enough for everyone! It looks great! Hurry up so we can eat it, 'cause I'm starving!"

Harry smiled to himself. Ron would be thinking about food. He followed Ron downstairs. As he entered the kitchen everyone present started singing him "Happy Birthday". When they finished Harry closed his eyes wondering what he should wish for. He thought about Ginny, and Desiree. He thought about Sirius and the prophecy and the rise of Voldemort. He knew what his wish should be.

_I wish I would make the right choices this year_, Harry thought. Then he opened his eyes and blew hard, and all the candles flickered out. Harry hoped that was a good omen.

Mrs. Weasley immediately began cutting the gigantic vanilla cake with choclate icing and sprinkles and handing pieces out to everyone in the room.

There was a lull in the noise of voices now, as everyone savored each bite of the mouth-watering cake. Soon after, the noise level rose again as everyone began chatting.

"Hey Harry!" called a familiar voice. Harry turned to see the towering form of Hagrid walking his way.

"Got a little summat' for ya'. Or, it is not so little, er… Yeh'll see what I mean," Hagrid chuckled to himself. Hagrid motioned for Harry to follow him, and as they left the room, he also beckoned Hermione, Ron, Ginny, and Desiree to join them.

"Hagrid, where are you taking me?" Harry asked.

"Drive-way" Hagrid grunted. "Got Molly to put out a cloaking charm so the muggles wouldn't notice me surprise for ya'". He opened the front door. Harry tried to peer around him, but Hagrid was blocking the whole door way. Then he turned to face Harry.

"Happy Birthday Harry!" he said happily, and then his gigantic form moved around to reveal the outside of Grimmuald Place, which looked exactly as it had when he had arrived the other day, except that there was a gigantic motorbike now in the driveway.

"So, where is my present?" Harry asked. Hagrid chuckled at him.

"That is yer present righ' here!" Hagrid told him, gesturing to the motorbike.

"You… You're giving me a motorcycle?" Harry asked, stunned.

"Ya" Hagrid laughed at the stunned look on everyone's face. "Molly didn't really want me givin' it to yeh' this soon, but I think yeh' should have it now! It is Sirius' old flying one, and he woulda wanted yeh to have it!"

Harry moved towards the shiny silver and black bike in wonder. He had a motorcycle! The others followed him. Ron came up behind Harry and touched the bike delicately, as if it would brake.

"Wicked awesome, mate! I wish I could have gotten one of these for my sixteenth birthday!"

"Wow! But you have to be really careful when you ride it! It looks dangerous!" That, of course was Hermione.

"Take me for a ride, Harry?!" Ginny and Desiree said excitedly at the same time.

"Sure" Harry said. "I'll take everyone! We could all fit on it, from the looks of it!" And they all climbed on to test it out. They indeed could all fit on it at one time.

"Now look over here and say 'Happy Birthday'!" Hagrid called to them. They all turned and shouted out to him, waving their hands in the air and acting goofy, as Hagrid snapped a photo of them all. They all turned their attention back to the front door as they heard someone chuckling.

"A sixteen year old boy and a motorcycle. Watch out, Ron. You may have some competition as Harry's best friend!" Remus Lupin said from the doorway. His face looked strained, as if he hadn't smiled in the longest time, which he hadn't, but nonetheless, he was smiling now.

"I remember how Sirius used to call it his Love Machine. He would take his girlfriends out on it all the time", he reminisced.

Desiree looked at Harry suggestively and wiggled her eyebrows comically. They all laughed with her at her absurd facial expressions.

"Desiree the biker chick" Hermione said. "I can see it!"

"Nah, I'm more the ballet type!" Desiree said as she hopped of the motorbike. They all stared at her.

"You're in ballet?" Harry asked.

"No way! I am just joking! My mom put me in ballet when I was six, and I was so horrible at it I got myself banned from the ballet school on my second day!"

"What exactly did you do?" Ron asked.

"It is a long story, involving the barre breaking, the mirror cracking as I piouriet'ed into it, and _Madame's_ hair catching on fire. Don't ask!" Desiree said quickly as she saw the startled looks on their faces.

"Don't worry. Doesn't sound to pleasant a story!" Ginny assured Desiree as she, too, lowered herself to the ground. The rest of them followed suit, and stood there admiring the bike for a few seconds.

Remus, who had come up behind them, then said to Harry "Yes, Sirius wanted you to have all his things, including his motorbike, and this. Now, it is not as cool as a motorbike, but it is special".

Remus pulled something out of his pocket. He held out his hands and showed it to him. It was a red dog collar. He held up the tag, and it read 'Padfoot. If found, please return to James Potter. Mostly friendly with young ladies'. Harry took the collar from Remus.

"James gave it to Sirius one Hogsmeade trip as a joke" Remus continued. "But Sirius pretended to take it, well, seriously, and he wore it every time he transformed" They all gazed at the dog collar, remembering Sirius. Then Mrs. Weasley called from the door:

"Harry! Come here! We have a big surprise for you!" Ron turned and grinned at Harry.

"You're gonna love this one!"

"Come on, boys!" shouted Hermione, Ginny, and Desiree, who had already reached the front door. Harry and Ron ran to catch up with them, but Harry stopped to say thanks to Hagrid.

"Don' mention it!" Hagrid boomed down at him.

Once Harry re-entered the kitchen, a piece of cloth was immediately placed around his eyes.

"Don't peek!" said Molly's voice.

"Come one!" Ron's voice yelled excitedly as he grabbed Harry's arm and pulled him around.

"Don't let me bump into anything!" Harry told him anxiously.

"Don't worry. Just hurry, Harry!" He was dragged along by many hands now pulling him. Suddenly, he stopped. It was sudden, and he accidentally stepped on someone's foot, and another person ran into him.

"Hey!" cried someone.

"Sorry, Seamus!" Harry apologized.

"Whoops! Didn't mean to, Harry!" Tonks exclaimed.

Then someone said 'One… Two… Three!' and they pulled off the blind fold.

Harry couldn't speak. There was a huge, flat field in front of him. A huge, flat field, with three bubble-blowing-stick shaped goals at each end of it, and bleachers on stilts directly across from him.

"You all made me a Quidditch field!" He shouted.

"It was my idea" Ginny put in, wanting recognition.

"It was a great idea!" Harry said, still processing that he had his own Quidditch pitch.

"How 'bout a game right now?" Ron asked.

"Excellent!"

Everyone who wanted to play gathered into teams. It was Blue Team: Harry-Seeker, Tonks-Beater, Fred-Beater, Desiree-Chaser, Ernie-Chaser, Hannah-Chaser, and Bill-Keeper, versus:

Red Team: Charlie-Seeker, George-Beater, Seamus-Beater, Ginny-Chaser, Remus-Chaser, Parvati-Chaser, and Ron-Keeper.

Most of the adults and the kids who weren't playing went to sit in the bleachers. Mr. Weasley, who was the referee, walked into the middle of the field.

"All right kids, play nice!" he said to them all. Tonks, Remus, Bill, and Charlie pretended to be offended at being called kids. Arthur then released the bludgers. They zoomed around threateningly, though not attacking yet, since the game had not started. Then the snitch was released, and it fluttered teasingly around Harry and Charlie.

"You're going down Potter!" Charlie taunted.

"In your dreams!" Harry shouted back.

"All right. GO!" Mr. Weasley shouted as he threw the quaffle in the air. The game was on. Harry and Charlie immediately flew straight up into the air, so they would be out of they way and so they could look for the snitch more efficiently.

The Red Team had immediately gained possession of the Quaffle, thanks to Ginny, but Hannah was coming right up behind her. Ginny saw this and made a quick pass to Parvati, who zoomed towards the goal posts. She aimed and threw the ball hard, but Bill hit the quaffle away with the end of his broomstick and Ernie caught it. He passed it to Desiree, who dropped it.

_What did she do that for_? Harry wondered. Then Hannah zoomed up and tossed the ball into the middle goal. Now he realized it was a play, when Desiree dropped the ball. Harry hadn't even seen Hannah catch the ball when Desiree dropped it.

"Good play!" Harry shouted.

The Blue Team had possession of the quaffle again, and Hannah was now flying to the other side of the field, but the quaffle was knocked out of her hands by a bludger sent her way by Seamus. Luckily, Desiree caught it and made a quick pass to Ernie, who scored for the Blue Team. It was 20-0. Remus had the quaffle now, and he passed it to Parvati, who passed it to Ginny, who flew past Tonks, who hit a bludger right into Fred's stomach.

"Hey! What was that for!" he shouted, clutching his stomach in agony.

"Sorry! I was aiming for Ginny!" Tonks called back to him. Fred stared disbelievingly at Tonks, as he was 30 feet away from Ginny at the time.

Ginny had now scored, and the cheers from her team jolted Fred back into the game. He flew past Harry, chasing a bludger, and as he pelted it back towards Remus, who had the Quaffle again, shouted to Harry "Knew letting Tonks play beater was a bad idea! She is dangerous, man!" Harry laughed to himself.

The game went on for about 45 more minutes. Neither Charlie nor Harry had caught any sign of the snitch. The teams were tied, 120-120. Everyone was getting anxious for the capture of the snitch, especially since Tonks had almost knocked Desiree's arm out of its socket. The quaffle was going back and forth between the two teams, each determined to take the lead.

Then, Harry and Charlie spotted the snitch at the same time. They both sped into a dive, and all other action stopped as both teams watched their seekers, who both had equally determined looks on their faces. They dodged around the other players, chasing the miniscule golden ball.

All of a sudden, a bludger whizzed past Harry's face. He veered off course, but did a loop-de-loop to recover himself. George had come to his senses and had whacked a bludger to towards Harry to make him loose his concentration. Fred followed his twins lead, and sent a bludger flying towards Charlie.

"I'll get it!" yelled Tonks as she flew towards the bludger Fred had hit.

"NO!" everyone yelled at her, not taking their eyes off of Harry and Charlie. Tonks looked taken aback and stopped in midair. She looked around at everyone. They were still watching the game. Tonks shrugged and joined them in watching the two seekers.

Both of them now had their hands out stretched, reaching… reaching….

"Got it!" Charlie and Harry yelled at the same time. They both put their hands in the air, and then looked up, confused. In one hand, Harry held the right wing of the snitch. In Charlie's hand was the left wing of the snitch.

"Tie!" Ron yelled. All the players sat on their brooms, stunned. They had never seen a tie in Quidditch before. Then they all flew back to the ground, and the spectators scrambled to join them.

"Wow. I bet that was the first tie in all of Quidditch history!" Padma said as she joined her sister on the field.

"No. There was a tie at the World Quidditch Cup in 1934, held in Finland" Hermione informed them.

"Uh, right" said Parvati.

"That was and excellent game!" Ron said to Harry.

"Yeah. I still can't believe I have my own Quidditch Pitch!"

"Okay, okay! It is getting dark out, now! Let's head inside, all of you!" Molly advised them all. Everyone headed back inside, and after about half an hour, people began to filter out of the house. They all wished Harry one last happy birthday as they left. Seamus and his mom were the last ones to leave at around 8:00.

"That was fun," Ron said thickly as he sat on the couch in the living room and ate one last piece of cake.

"Yeah" Ginny sighed.

"So, was that a good birthday, Harry?" Hermione asked.

"The best one ever," Harry said contentedly.

A/N: I'm not sure if Charlie really played Seeker. It doesn't really mention it in the books, does it? But it makes sense, if Gyrffindor hadn't won until Harry came, if Charlie was a seeker. Oh, whatever.

And Ernie and Hannah are Ernie Macmillan and Hannah Abbott, incase you didn't catch on, and it's kinda obvious who Parvati and Padma are, the names aren't common.


	6. Letters From OWLs

A/N: I know the scores are probably not accurate, and if they are I am amazing, but anyways… LOL! I like saying LOL. LOL! JK. Bye.  OK, seriously, bye.

Chapter 5- Letters from O.W.L.s

The summer went by all too quickly for Harry. He would have loved to have stayed at Grimmuald Place all year, playing Quidditch with Ron, Ginny, Desiree, and the children of the new members of the Order. He even occasionally forgot the guilt of Sirius' death that was hovering over him, because he was kept so busy. Needless to say, the arrival of the traditional school owls made Harry quite a bit sad to be leaving.

Harry and Ron, who had just woken up, joined Ginny and Desiree at the table in the kitchen. Ron was just about to take a bite from his cereal when a rectangular object was dropped into it. Ron was still half asleep, and he didn't notice it.

Harry, however, was more alert in the mornings than Ron, and he caught his letter before the owl dropped it onto his toast. Ginny caught both hers and Desiree's letters, as Desiree was also out of it for a while after she had woken up. The owl flew out of the kitchen and up the stairs to deliver Hermione's letter last.

Harry was tearing open his letter when Ron said sleepily "Hey, what's in my bowl?" Harry looked over and saw Ron holding up the soggy letter. Harry laughed.

"That's your Hogwarts letter" he informed him. Ron shook it, and the cold milk splattered all over him.

"Argh! Cold!" he shrieked.

"Guess your awake now!" Harry teased him.

"Yeah, guess I am," Ron grunted angrily.

Harry unfolded his letter. It read:

Dear Mr. Potter,

We are pleased to inform you that you have passed all of your O.W.L.s except for Divination and History of Magic. Your results are as follows:

Class Grade Score

Transfiguration- O 3

Herbology- A 1

Defense Against the Dark Arts- O 3

Divination- P 0

History of Magic- P 0

Charms- O 3

Potions- E 2

Care of Magical Creatures- E 2

Astronomy- E 2

Astronomy is not being held against you or any of your peers. We understand that there was an incident on the grounds that night that provided a serious distraction to all the students and we based your astronomy score on previous exams.

You have received 16 O.W.L.s total. Congratulations on your success.

Sincerely,

Griselda Marchbanks

The next letter was the usual one from Professor McGonagall. It said that he would need:

2 new sets of dress robes

Defense for the Advanced Beginner, by Jerry Stimpleson

Potions for the Advanced Beginner, by Jerry Stimpleson

Charms for the Advanced Beginner, by Jerry Stimpleson

Transfiguration for the Advanced Beginner, by Jerry Stimpleson

Astronomy for the Advanced Beginner, by Jerry Stimpleson

Care of Magical Creatures for the Advanced Beginner, by Jerry Stimpleson

Herbology for the Advanced Beginner, by Jerry Stimpleson

But wait; there was a P.S. after the usual salutation. Harry read it. Then he read it again. And again. He couldn't believe what is said.

P.S. Harry I have selected you as the new Quidditch Captain for the Gyrffindor team. Congratulations. I know you will do well.

Hermione bolted into the room suddenly.

"Well! What did you two get?" she asked.

"I don't know! The ruddy owl dropped my letter in my cereal!" Ron exploded.

"Goodness! It wasn't my fault you didn't catch your letter!" she said haughtily. She then called Mrs. Weasley, who came in and dried off Ron's letter with a quick charm.

"Anyways, I got 26 O.W.L.s," she said.

"That is lucky," said Desiree, smiling to herself, remembering that night at the beginning of the summer.

"Um, yes, it is," Hermione said confusedly. "And I also got Prefect again".

"What didn't you pass with full marks in?" Ron asked, who had done the math quickly in his head and realized that there was one point missing from Hermione's score.

"History of Magic".

"Ha! Knew even you couldn't get full marks in tha- OW!" Ron yelled as Hermione rapped him smartly on the head.

"So Harry. What did you get?" she asked as Ron glared at her, rubbing his head where she had hit him.

"I got 16 O.W.L.s and I got Quidditch captain," he said quietly, still stunned.

"Oh you did! That is wonderful!" Hermione exclaimed.

"That's great Harry!" Desiree congratulated him.

"I guess that means I'll definitely be making chaser this year, then?" Ginny asked.

"If you beat out the competition, yes!" Harry said. Ginny smacked him across the shoulder playfully.

"Maybe I'll try out for chaser…" Desiree commented.

"That would be great! Then all four of us could be on the team together!" Harry said. _And then I could spend more time with Ginny and Desiree_, he thought to himself.

"Not necessarily," said Ginny. "I still have to beat out the competition!"

"Incase anyone is wondering," Ron said loudly. "I got 15 O.W.L.s and Prefect again!"

"Really! Good job, Ron!" Hermione said. She hugged him, and Ron immediately turned a deep shade of red. When Hermione turned back to the table, everyone was smiling at the two of them.

"What?!" she said exasperatedly, and they all turned away, still smiling.

"I got 19 O.W.L.s. My fifth year exam scores were turned into O.W.L. scores, since we don't take O.W.L.s," said Desiree, breaking the awkward silence. Awkward for Ron and Hermione, anyways.

"You did, Desiree?!" Mrs. Amore exclaimed as she entered the kitchen. "I knew you would do _tres bien, mademoiselle_!"

"Can I see your scores?" Ron asked. Desiree handed him her letter.

"No way! Quidditch is a class in your old school?!" Ron said disbelievingly. "Wicked!"

"Yes, don't you have that class?" Desiree asked.

"No. We just have a couple flying lessons in our first year," Ginny informed her.

"Oh," Desiree said disappointedly. "I always looked forward to my Quidditch class, even though I am not extremely outstanding in it. Oh well. _C'est la vie_."

"I got Prefect" Ginny said out of the blue.

"You did Ginny? I am so proud of you! Why didn't you say something earlier? You're the fifth in the family to make Prefect!" Mrs. Weasley cried out.

"That is exactly it! It has already been done so it doesn't matter!"

"Sure it matters, Ginny! You are a good enough student to make Prefect!" Hermione comforted her.

"_Oui_, and if you keep it up, you can be the first in your family to get Head Girl!" Desiree consoled Ginny. Ginny brightened at their kind words.

"Yeah, you guys are right. None of my brothers can ever possibly get Head Girl."

"I suppose you will all need to take a trip to Diagon Alley, then?" asked Mrs. Weasley.

"Yeah. Quite original titles for the books this year, huh? At least Hagrid didn't assign some loony sort of book again," Ron said thankfully.

That afternoon they all flooed to Diagon Alley along with Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Mr. and Mrs. Amore, and Seamus, who had been dropped off by his mom because she didn't have anytime to take him school shopping.

Harry looked around, surprised at how many people were there. He asked Mr. Weasley and Mr. Amore, the two who worked at the Ministry, why there were so many people at Diagon Alley even though Voldemort was back. He thought they would have been too scared to come out of their houses.

"We 'ave got undercover Aurors working twenty-four seven 'ere," said Mr. Amore.

"So don't you worry, all right Harry?" Mr. Weasley finished kindly. Harry nodded to show he understood the double meaning of the words. _Don't go off and do something stupid if anything happens _basically summed up the hidden message.

"All right, you six can go off and 'ave some fun first" said Mrs. Amore.

"Yes, but meet us at Flourish and Blotts around two, got it?" Mrs. Weasley asked. A chorus of yes's answered her, and she nodded at them, and they were off.

First they stopped at Eyelop's Owl Emporium so Desiree, Harry, and Seamus could buy food for their owls, and so Ginny could buy a new owl for making Prefect. She bought a golden brown one, and named it "Graham Cracker".

"Graham Cracker?!" they all asked her, mystified at the unusual name.

"I think it's cute!" Ginny said indignantly. "It is a Muggle snack".

"She thought 'Pigwiedgon' was cute, too," Ron muttered to Harry, who grinned.

As they walked by Quality Quidditch supplies, Desiree exclaimed "Hold on! I have wanted to get a new broom for a while." They all went in with her and looked around as she purchased her new Firebolt. Seamus and Ron looked jealously at it in its package.

"Wish I could get me one of those," Seamus sighed.

After that they all went to get their two sets of dress robes. Hermione, Ginny, and Desiree all squealed over the new ladies dress robes. They looked more like formal muggle dresses, and were "the new fashion", as Madame Malkin told them. Unfortunately for Harry, Ron, and Seamus, the men's dress robes were still, well, more or less dresses. They would have even preferred tuxes to them, but as Desiree said to them, "_C'est la vie_".

The boys chose their robes quickly, wanting to leave as soon as possible. Harry got a green and a black, Seamus got a blue and a silver, and Ron got a dark red (he already had a black one from Fred and George).

The girls, however, took more time and deliberation for their dress robes. Eventually, after seemingly five hours to the boys, Hermione got a white and a red, Ginny got a silver and a green, and Desiree got light a sapphire blue and a gold.

"Finally!" yelled the boys as they left the shop with their purchases. The girls just smirked at them.

Their next stop was Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes.

"Hey all!" Fred yelled over the crowd as soon as he saw them all.

"Hello!" they all shouted back, except for Desiree, who of course said "_Bonjour_!"

"Welcome, welcome!" they said as they shook hands with Harry, Ron, Seamus, Ginny and Hermione.

"_Beinvenue, mademoiselle_" they said as they got to Desiree and kissed her hand instead of shaking it. "_Oui_, we have been brushing up on our French," said George. Desiree giggled.

"Just for your!" Fred added.

"Actually, no," said George.

"We have picked it up from Fleur," said Fred.

"She has been over to the Burrow almost every other day," said George.

"To see Bill," added Fred.

"But we would've learned French for you anyways, my _jolies fleur_!" George told her. Desiree giggled again.

"_Tres bien, mon shers_! Your French is _par excellence_!" she exclaimed laughingly.

"_Sacrebleu_! Only friends?" Fred asked, looking disappointed.

"There are other fish in the sea, Fred," said George, giving his forlorn looking twin a comforting pat on the back.

"You're right," Fred said. "So…"

"Have a look around," George finished for him.

Harry walked around the shop examining everything, but still keeping a safe distance from it all. He immediately spotted some powder that not only made you itch; it made you constantly scratch your bottom. Harry would've dearly loved the chance to use it on Dudley or Malfoy. Maybe he would get some. He also saw more fake wands, Canary Creams, Headless Hats, and Jumbo Dumbo candies. There was also a deodorant that made the wearer smell worse to everyone but himself, small hard candies that turned your skin colors, and lolli pops which turned your voice into the sound of an animals call for a half hour (They came in lion, frog, pig, toad, dog, and ostrich), and quills that made you think you were writing your own words, but really wrote insults to the person you were writing to. Harry was examining one, thinking about how much trouble Malfoy would get in if he used one of these on a Transfiguration essay, when Fred and George came up behind him.

"'Lo Harry" Fred greeted him.

"Like our Quirky Quills, eh? Fancy buying anything?" George asked.

"I dunno…" Harry said, wondering if he should buy something. Then he spotted some mirrors.

"Are those like Desiree's mirrors?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, we got the idea from her," Fred said.

"They're not really a joke item, but they can help you get into trouble," George explained. Or out of it, Harry thought. He decided he would get one for everybody.

"Hey everyone! Come over here!" he called to them. When they all were present, he told them to pick out a mirror, except of course, for Desiree. The girls got compacts like Desiree's and the boys all picked out silver circular mirrors. Harry took all the mirrors to the front and Fred rang up his purchases. He handed the mirrors out to everyone.

"Thanks Harry! These are wicked!" Seamus said.

"Yes, thank you! You didn't have to do it, though!" said Hermione.

"I wanted to," Harry told them all. "And they count as your Christmas presents!"

"Ah, I know you Harry! You'll get us all Christmas presents anyways!" Ginny said, happily examining her new compact.

"Hey Harry! Look over here!" Ron called out to him. He was looking at the packages of fireworks. "Do ya' want to get some? We could both buy a box together, if you want too!"

"Sure! We could use them for our Quidditch victory parties in the common room," Harry said enthusiastically. They got a box, and Fred rang that up too. They all left after saying bye to Fred and George ("Au revoir!" They called to Desiree, who laughed at them again).

When they were finished it was around one forty-five, so they all headed towards Flourish and Blotts to meet the adults.

They all left the shop staggering under the weight of all their books, except for Ginny. When they landed in front of the fire place in the kitchen, Ron, Seamus, and especially Hermione all got bruises from their books falling on them.

They were dusting themselves off when Susan Bones, Remus Lupin, and Tonks entered the kitchen. Susan had left her home for Grimmuald Place after they all had left for shopping, because she already had her new school items. She ran excitedly towards them all now.

"Oh! Myauntsdaneminteoamic!" she shouted happily.

"What?" Harry asked her.

"Repeat that more slowly, please," said Ron.

"My aunt is the new Minister of Magic!" she exclaimed.

"She is?" said all the kids confusedly. The members of the Order in the room, however, looked pleased but not at all surprised.

"You all new Fudge was getting sacked and didn't tell us?" Ron said.

"We knew Fudge was being charged for withholding important information and putting the Wizarding world in danger, and we assumed it would end in his being fired from his job," said Mrs. Weasley. "But we didn't know it would happen this very day. Congratulations, Susan!" she added warmly. Susan thanked her.

"Ma cherie, this is tres bien!" Desiree exclaimed to Susan.

"Merci, mademoiselle!" Susan said happily.

"I like Madame Bones," Harry said thoughtfully. "She was fair to me at my trial, unlike Fudge and Umbridge. I am happy for you two," he said to Susan. She thanked him to.

"It is really good for us that there is a member of the Order as Minister of Magic" Hermione commented.

"Yes, and maybe now the Daily Prophet will write the truth, because we know Madame Bones is a sensible person," said Ginny.

"Molly, Arthur, Aimee, Mark" said Tonks suddenly. "We need to talk with you. Dumbledore stopped by this afternoon. He was disappointed that he couldn't talk to you all, including the kids but he left a message for you".

"And he congratulates Ron and Hermione and Ginny on making Prefect, and he congratulates everyone except Ginny on their excellent O.W.L. scores, and he says he know Ginny will do just as well. He also said that Hogwarts has not seen such high scores, Hermione, since he took his exams", Lupin said to them all.

As Hermione turned pink from the praise and tried not to look to pleased, Tonks, Lupin, and Mrs. Weasley all left into another room to talk.

Ron started to pull out an Extendable Ear when Ginny said gloomily, "Might as well not even bother. They all know we always have those with us now". Ron reluctantly started to put away the Extendable Ear, when Desiree asked:

"What is that?" They all explained to her about the Extendable Ears and how Fred and George invented them. Desiree was just saying she thought that they looked familiar, that she had seen them in Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes, when the three re-entered the room.

"Kids, I have some news for you," Mrs. Weasley said. They all looked at her hesitantly, wondering what kind of news it was.

"It is good!" Mrs. Weasley said quickly as she saw all the looks on their faces. "There will be seven new foreign students at Hogwarts this year, including Desiree, but you will only meet the rest of them on the train because their parents are all arriving here on September first. There will be twins, a girl and a boy, from France, a girl from Germany, a boy from Italy, one boy from America, and one boy from Egypt. I expect you all to make them feel welcome and to sit with them on the train, as it is their first time".

"How old are they?" asked Desiree.

"They are all in sixth year and above, as people with younger children do not want to join the Order yet because they do not want to put their children in danger," Mr. Amore told them.

Ron, Harry, Seamus, Hermione, Susan, Ginny, and Desiree all looked gravely at each other. There were now more than twenty four new members of the Order, including the new kids, and adults and children alike were very close after spending a whole summer together. The odds were against them. There was no way they all could go through the second war without having a loved one die.


	7. A Few Unpleasant Surprises

Chapter 6- A Few Unpleasant Surprises

"Come on, come on!" said Mrs. Weasley hurriedly.

"Why? We are not even late, for once!" Ron said.

"Yes. In fact, we have about twenty minutes until the Hogwarts Express leaves," said Hermione, who glanced at the clock in the front of the Ministry car as she climbed out.

"_Oui_, but we want to be early so you all can get on the train with the new students," Mrs. Amore explained as Ginny, Desiree, Harry, Remus, Mad-Eye, Tonks, Mr. Amore, and Mr. Weasley filed out of the two cars.

They all grabbed carts for their luggage, and set off for Platform Nine and Three Quarters, trying to be inconspicuous as possible. But that was quite hard with four caged owls, two of which were screeching loudly (Pig and Graham Cracker), a squashy faced Ginger cat that hissed threateningly at passersby, (Crookshanks), someone with bright blue spiky hair (Tonks), and someone who kept exclaiming loudly over perfectly normal muggle inventions (Mr. Weasley).

They arrived the platform eventually, after being stared at by many a muggle. They all leaned casually against the barrier two by two, and entered the hidden platform.

There were already a number of students and their parents there, and the group cramped together so they could all converse.

"Okay, now we 'ave to find the new students," said Mrs. Amore.

"Remember, they are older, and they will be unfamiliar to you, so they should be easy to find," said Remus.

"Look! I don't know him!" said Ginny. She pointed to a boy with short dark brown hair and dark eyes. He spotted them all looking at him, and he joined them all.

"Is this…" he trailed off, not wanting to say the Order's name if he was mistaken.

"Yes, dear, this is the Order of the Phoenix group," Mrs. Weasley said warmly, as always. The boy looked relieved.

"I am Amr, from Egypt," he told them. They all greeted him, and they asked him to help them look for the other new kids.

"Look at that girl!" Harry said after a few minutes. A short girl with medium blonde hair and hazel eyes was holding a snowy owl, and turning this way and that, as if she were looking for someone. Which she probably was. They all moved towards her.

"_Pardon_, are you one of the new students?" Desiree asked the girl, whose eyes widened in delight.

"Yes! I am so glad I found you all, or rather, you all found me!" she exclaimed happily. "I am Sara Robinson, from Germany. Pleased to meet you all," she said, looking around at all of them.

"It is wonderful to meet you too, Sara, but we must be going," Mad-Eye growled, looking at his watch.

"Where are you all of to?" asked Ron and Ginny at the same time.

"We have to go meet the new members at headquarters right now, and there is a guard this morning, and a meeting this afternoon," Tonks explained.

"And that is all you need to know!" Mrs. Weasley said sharply as Ron opened his mouth.

"But you have never left us before," Ginny pointed out.

"Well, we figured you are all fifteen and sixteen and can take care of yourselves and find the new students on your own," Lupin said smiling.

"Oh, we're not complaining. We were just wondering why you were leaving, because you never have before," said Harry.

"Well now you all know," said Mr. Weasley.

"Au revoir!" said Mr. and Mrs. Amore, and there were a bunch of popping noises, and they all were gone.

"Okay, lets find those other kids," said Hermione. They all immediately started looking again.

"That boy over there," said Amr right away. "He arrived the same time I did, and his parents were speaking Italian to him, I believe". And again, they all picked up there owls and trunks, or rather, pushed them in the little carts, and made their way over to the boy.

"Excuse me," Harry said, tapping the boy on his shoulder. The boy turned around immediately. He had light brown hair that stopped just above his neck and dark brown eyes. "Are you a new student from Italy?"

"Yes," answered the boy. "Hello. My name is David" They all introduced each other again.

Next they spotted a girl and a boy with dark brown hair standing next to each other.

"They have got to be the twins from France," said Ron. Again, they all introduced themselves to the new students. They both had long hair, but the boy wore his in a ponytail at the nape of his neck, while the girl wore hers freely. They both were tall, but the girl was also very skinny.

"_Bonjour_. I am Joelle," said the girl.

"And I am Joseph," said the boy.

"Who is the other French person here?" asked Joelle.

"_Beinvenue_. I am, but I only lived in France until I was six months old, but I have visited family a lot," Desiree explained to her.

"Oh," was all Joelle had to say.

Hermione looked up at the clock on the wall anxiously. It was 10:52.

"We had better go in and get a big compartment and them come back and look for the other boy," she said to them all. They all agreed to this, and boarded the train to deposit their trunks and pets. There were now five owls, three cats, and one rat (Joelle had a cat named Rachel, Joseph had a cat named Oliver, Sara's owl was named Dina, and David had a rat name Joe), along with ten people's trunks. Luckily, they had gotten a big compartment at the front.

They all left to go look for the last boy, except for Ron, who stayed behind for some unknown reason. But they could not find him. It was now 10:59.

"Well, he will just have to find us on the train, then," said Harry as the warning whistle blew. They all trooped back onto the train, and Desiree opened the door to reveal Ron holding up Crookshanks to Dina.

"Is it real?" he was asking Crookshanks. Apparently Ron had been holding him up to all of the new pets and asking him the same question. Harry, Hermione, and Ginny laughed, but the rest just looked confused. They all explained to them why Ron was talking to the ginger cat, and they all laughed at him, too. Ron blushed a bright red.

"Just checking," he said embarrassedly. "Better safe then sorry!" he yelled at Harry who was still laughing.

They started talking with each other, getting to know one another. About a minute after the train had lefty the station, the talk turned to what houses each new person would be sorted into.

"I bet I'll be in Ravenclaw," said Amr after Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny had explained the traits of each house. "I am smart, but I'm not brave, or loyal, or anything."

"I suppose I'll end up in Slytherin," Joseph said. The four who had been to Hogwarts before looked at him in surprise.

"But you are nice!" Ron blurted out.

"Yeah, but I look out put my self before anyone else, and I can be sneaky," said Joseph.

"Ron, let it go! Not all Slytherins are bad!" Hermione said. Ron closed his mouth.

"I hope I am in Gryffindor, but… I don't know…" Desiree said uncertainly. "I am not really brave."

"I hope you are!" said Harry. They smiled at each other. Ginny frowned at this. Then the door of the compartment burst open.

"Hello!" said a tall boy with spiked, dark brown hair and dark brown eyes. "I'm looking for-," he stopped mid sentence as he looked up.

"Desiree?" he asked.

"Jason?!" Desiree exclaimed.

"What are you doing here?!" they each said at once.

"You know each other?" asked Sara.

"Yes," said Desiree, looking away from Jason. "We do."

"How?" said David.

No one said anything for a while.

"Desiree was my girlfriend," Jason said quietly. "But she broke up with me when she left." Everyone else looked at each other in understanding. It must be awkward to break up with someone, or have someone break up with you, only to find they had now also moved to England and are now going to Hogwarts, too.

Harry, David, and Joseph looked jealously at Jason. He was lucky to have been her boyfriend, even if she had broken up with him.

"Have a seat!" said Hermione, breaking the silence. Jason put down his owl cage and his trunk, and sat in the seat. He starred at Desiree for a long time, but she avoided his gaze.

_Stop it Jason!_, she thought. _I am sorry, but stop it_! _I had to, you know I had to!_ Then she looked over at him, and he shrugged his shoulders and looked away. Desiree sighed. _This is going to be fun_, she thought sarcastically.

They all had a great time on the train, getting acquainted with each other, except for Desiree, Jason, and Harry, who all stayed unusually quiet.

As they were all discussing their favorite Quidditch teams, the train came to a stop.

"What's going on?"

"What's happening?!"

"Not more Dementors!" Ginny cried out, losing her head and forgetting that the Ministry no longer employed Dementors.

"I'll go check what is going on," said Desiree. She stood up quickly.

"I'll come with you too!" said Hermione. They both went out into the hall and walked down the train to see what was going on. Outside, more people were opening their compartment doors, curious to know what was happening.

"That is weird," said Ron.

"Yeah. The last time the train stopped in the middle of the journey was because the Dementors were looking for Sirius…" Harry trailed off. Don't start, Harry, he thought to himself. Not now!

Ron looked at him sorrowfully. "Don't think about it, mate," he said to Harry. "It will just-" He was cut off by the compartment door banging open.

"Well, well, well," said the snobbish voice of Draco Malfoy as he entered with Crabbe and Goyle. "What have we got here?"

"What do you want, Malfoy?" Harry growled at his nemesis.

"Just to be introduced to the new kids," Malfoy said innocently.

"Well here ya go," Ron started. "This is Sara, Amr, David, Joelle, Joseph, Jason, and Desiree is missing right now. And everyone else, this is Draco Malfoy, the prat of Hogwarts! Now you can leave!"

"What if I don't want to, Weasel?" sneered Malfoy.

"Then we'll be glad to make you!" said Harry, who leapt up, wand outstretched, along with Ron and Ginny. Crabbe and Goyle did their trademark threatening knuckle crack, and Draco just smirked at them.

"I don't think that will be necessary," said Hermione as she stood in the doorway of the compartment.

"What do you want, you Mudblood?"

"I just want to sit down and have a peaceful train ride," said Hermione carelessly, as she seated herself.

"If by peaceful, you mean-" Malfoy started to say, but he stopped as he heard as sweet, musical voice say:

"Excuse me? What is going on?" Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle turned around to see who was taking, and their mouths dropped open as soon as they saw Desiree, who was now standing in the doorway.

"N-Nothing!" stuttered Malfoy.

"Well, it looked as though you were about to have a fight," said Desiree in the same, sweet, concerned voice.

"Just a reunion between friends," Malfoy told her. Crabbe and Goyle's vacant looks seemed even more pronounced as they stared un-blinkingly at Desiree with their mouths hanging open in a comical O shape.

"Oh, well that's good!" Desiree exclaimed, looking relieved. "I suppose you had better be going then, to see the rest of your friends!"

"Uh, yeah. See you!" Malfoy called, almost dizzily, to her as he turned back to the door. He took a step and stopped suddenly.

"You know, Potter, we have about a half an hour left until we get to Hogsmeade. A lot can happen in an hour if you know what I mean…" and then he continued out the door and into the hallway, Crabbe and Goyle following him. As soon as they left, Hermione and Desiree burst out laughing.

"Did you see them drooling?!" Desiree shrieked with delight.

"Yes! Oh, that was so funny!" cried Hermione.

"What are you two taking about?" Ron asked, looking puzzled.

"Well, we were coming up the hall and I saw Malfoy and his cronies through the doorway," Hermione explained.

"And Hermione told me who they were," said Desiree.

"And I had a sudden inspiration," Hermione told them, smiling mischeviously. "I remembered that Desiree was part Veela, and I asked her if she could do something about them."

"So I turned on the charm, literally, and they would've jumped off a cliff if I had asked them to!"

Hermione frowned suddenly. "But what was that all about at the end? Malfoy said 'A lot can happen in a half an hour'. What did he mean?"

"It doesn't matter! Just take a minute to imprint the image of Malfoy and his drooling bodyguards into your mind forever, because that was great! I wish I was part Veela, so I could control boy's minds!" Ginny said as she laughed along with everyone else.

"No you don't. It is really not that great being a part Veela," said Desiree sadly.

"Why?" asked Joelle. "I think it would be great!"

"It is hard, because if you can't control your power, then sometimes boys only like you because of the Veela part of you, not the part that really matters," Desiree explained. The girls were quiet for a moment, thinking.

"Yeah, and boys don't want to be controlled by girls!" Ron said.

"Ugh. Just imagine what a horrible place the world would be if all the girls were Veela!" joked Joseph.

"Anyways, what did the train stop for?" asked Amr.

"Oh, the ministry just came onboard to check that everything was running smoothly. Everything is okay," she assured them.

Soon the previously cheery atmosphere returned, and once again they were all chatting happily.

"No way, the Tornadoes are so not going to stay on top!" shouted Ron.

Harry was about to argue that he thought they were doing pretty well, when his scar burned so badly, he slumped to the floor, clutching it and rolling from side to side.

A/N: Hee hee hee! Cliffie! Don't worry, though! I should have the next chapter up in less than a week!

Also, check out my new story 'Voldy Humor'. It is in the point of view of Voldemort's secret new helper, and it takes place in Harry's fifth year and it shows what happened with Voldemort all the times Harry had dreams and stuff. It is really crazy, because I am writing it when I am hyper! Everyone I have read it to thinks it is really funny, so check it out!


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